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Nine people have died in two separate incidents across Teesside within a week, prompting urgent calls for residents in South Bank and Grangetown to receive stronger protection and long-term support. Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council leader Alec Brown has said people affected by the recent deaths deserve to “feel safe in their own homes” as police investigations continue into a fatal crash and a deadly house fire.
The deaths include seven people, among them two police officers, who were killed in a collision on the A66 at South Bank near Middlesbrough on Saturday. Four days later, a 34-year-old woman and her seven-year-old niece died in a house fire in nearby Grangetown.
Speaking amid growing concern across the area, Brown said he had called an urgent meeting involving councillors, police and social housing providers to examine the response and reassure communities shaken by the events.
Brown acknowledged that some residents in parts of Middlesbrough and Redcar may feel overlooked, particularly in communities facing poverty and wider social pressures.
He said: “You live around people that may be suffering poverty or other social issues, it can be that uniform sort of consciousness that ‘we’re left behind’.”
Brown said he wanted residents of Grangetown and South Bank to know that their concerns were being taken seriously.
“I can assure the people of Grangetown and South Bank – they’re as important to me as the people from any other estate in the borough and we’re working tirelessly to ensure that they do feel safe in their own houses,” he said.
Daily Dazzling Dawn understands that the urgent discussions are intended to bring together key local agencies following one of the most difficult weeks experienced by the neighbouring Teesside communities in recent years.
Among those killed in Saturday’s crash were PC Matthew Blades and PC Tom Clough.
Police said the officers were travelling in their vehicle when a Volkswagen Passat, reportedly travelling in the wrong direction on the A66 at South Bank, collided with them. Five young men travelling in the Volkswagen also died.
The scale of the crash prompted a major emergency response and has left the local policing community in mourning.
Cleveland Police later said 17 people aged between 18 and 61 had been arrested across Teesside as part of an ongoing investigation into the events leading up to the collision.
Those arrested are being investigated in connection with a range of alleged offences, including possession of a firearm and involvement in an organised crime group.
The investigation remains ongoing, and police have not suggested that every person arrested was directly involved in the collision itself.
Concern deepened further on Wednesday when Natalie McDonald, 34, and her seven-year-old niece, Valentina Foster, died in a house fire in Grangetown.
A 48-year-old woman remained in a critical condition in hospital, while three other people suffered injuries described by police as not life-threatening.
Cleveland Police arrested two men, aged 23 and 31, on suspicion of murder. Both remained in police custody as detectives continued their investigation.
The force said it was keeping an open mind about the circumstances surrounding the fire and could not rule out possible links to wider organised crime at this stage.
Daily Dazzling Dawn learned that investigators are continuing to examine the circumstances of the blaze while supporting those affected by the deaths and injuries.
Teesside MPs have joined calls for additional long-term investment in local police and fire services.
Labour MPs Anna Turley, Luke Myer, Andy McDonald, Jonathan Brash and Chris McDonald said in a joint statement that their communities deserved to feel safe.
While welcoming assistance provided by other police forces during the past week, they said residents had expressed concerns about safety for far too long and argued that temporary support alone would not address deeper pressures.
Luke Myer said current national funding arrangements did not adequately reflect the scale of crime and fire risks facing Teesside.
“We essentially have a metropolitan style of crime and also risk of fire but with a sort of rural-style funding,” he said, calling for a substantial overhaul of the funding formula.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said support would be provided to local police officers and authorities as investigations continued. He described the Grangetown fire as “utterly devastating” and “terribly tragic”.
For families mourning loved ones, emergency workers responding to both incidents and communities seeking reassurance, the focus is now on what happens next.
The urgent meeting called by Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council, alongside the continuing Cleveland Police investigations and parliamentary calls for reform, will be closely watched by residents who want answers, accountability and a lasting sense of safety.
